October 29, 2025 • 7 mins
NKU Men's Basketball Head Coach Darrin Horn previews the 2025-26 season.
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Podcasts of The Mo Egger Radio Show are a service of Longnecks Sports Grill.
Listen to the show live weekday afternoons 3:00 - 6:00 on ESPN1530.
Listen Live: ESPN1530.com/listen
Get more: https://linktr.ee/MoEgger
Follow on X: @MoEgger
Instagram too: @MoEgger
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is football in the Nattie, brought to you by
modern office methods on.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Thank you, It's exactly for twenty This is ESPN fifteen
thirty on oegar. The men's basketball team at Northern Kentucky
University opens it season on Monday game against UC Claremont
at seven o'clock and before they hit the road for
back to back games next weekend against Tennessee and Knoxville.
The first of those two. The head coach of the Norse,
(00:32):
he's got his hands full with nine new players, Darren
horn is with his coach. Awesome to have. He was
always good afternoon, Good.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Afternoon, mothe thanks. You know that this pitch riding was
my normal routine. I turned on down Mowegar in the
afternoons on my way home. This is perfect.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Well, that's that's way too kind of you, and I
appreciate that. Where do you even start? Is this like
normal now? Where every year you know I'm gonna have six, seven, eight,
nine new players? Has this started to feel normal yet?
Speaker 4 (01:01):
Well?
Speaker 3 (01:01):
I think it is right. Just look around the country
and if you've got, you know, less than five or
six new guys, it's probably unusual. And so it's just
the first year that it's happened for us to have
this many new guys. And you know, our philosophy approaching
this in the in this new era is we're trying
to build the best team that we can uh for
(01:23):
every season, uh, one year at a time, and so
you know, we hope that we've done that for this
year without new guys.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
How many of these players from overseas did you get
a chance to go and recruit personally? Zero?
Speaker 3 (01:36):
I mean, that's the thing. You don't see any of
these portal guys in person, right unless you played against
them or maybe recruited them at one time. You know,
you're talking about sometimes a seven day to maybe two
three weeks max recruitment and and a lot of it
not even in person. We we've got a guy that
may start for us who we never even had on campus.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Does is that normal?
Speaker 1 (01:59):
Yet?
Speaker 3 (02:01):
I think it's getting there, Okay, I think it's getting
there because of the timing of it. You know, you
get into May and there's some some deadlines on this stuff,
and you know you run out of time to get
them to campus.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
All right, Well, uh, you've had an exhibition game, you
play at Ashland so based on that in the weeks
where the practice and all the offseason workouts, what do
you like most about your team?
Speaker 3 (02:21):
Yeah, I think what I'm going to like, hopefully is
we I think we're going to be deep, a little
deeper than we've been in the past. I really like
our athleticism, and I think we've got some real versatility,
uh in this group. But again with with not many returners,
and then the returners being guys that you know, need
to be more consistent in their roles.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
You know, we don't know exactly what we're gonna get,
but I think there's real potential for us to work
towards a team that's that's much more athletic and deeper overall.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Do you do you go into the first few games,
and I hate to put it this way with with
almost a checklist of like, we we want to win
as many games as possible, but we have to accomplish
these things. We have to grow in these areas before
Horizon League play gets.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
Here, no question, you know, I think the biggest thing
one of the reasons we've had, you know, sustained success
in our place, I think we really played to an
identity and that identity is built, you know, over time
with you know, we don't really use the word culture,
but with building you know, a culture of your program
and how you want to play, what's important to you.
It's passed on right now, new guys you don't have
(03:29):
as much of that, and so we're of course we're
playing to win every game, but we really also want
to build our identity early in the season.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
How hard is that to do when you're not seeing
guys in person.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Oh it's hard, right, I mean, ultimately we're all rolling
the dice, man, you know, and then we're not alone
in our own area. Kentucky's got eleven new guys. I
think I don't know how many rethink Richards whole rosters
do it xavior. So like it's it's just kind of
college basketball now, man. You got to get to it
and hope it works out well for.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
You, no question about that. Darren Horne is with us.
The Norris open up the season against UC Claremont on Monday.
That game is going to be at seven o'clock before
they hit the road to go take on Tennessee. You
and I talk about scheduling. We've talked about scheduling in
the past. Is in this era of college sports, is
it becoming easier more difficult to check all the boxes
(04:21):
you want to check with the schedule.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
Yeah, it's getting harder for us again, just because of
the way we play and the success that we've had.
You know, used to be we were a quality RPI game,
but now it's the net system, right, and it goes
by quads, and whether you're at the top of the
quad or the bottom of the quad, it's the same
ranking or credit for your opponent. So they'd much rather
(04:45):
play the teams at the bottom of the quad, which
has made it really hard for us to get those games.
And then just the structure of them as well. We
hope we've addressed that. You know, if you remember last
year MO we opened up half Florida State with to
Purdue and then hosted Cincinnati in three of our first
four games. So we've tried to space that out a
little bit. We are at Tennessee and on the road
(05:06):
at Eastern Sea State, who's always very good, but uh,
then and then we're able to come home for three
towards the end of the month and hopefully build build
our team a little bit in that process.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Do you like the fact that there are Horizon League
games on the schedule, and this has been the case
now for a while before the calendar flips the next year.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
I like it in general. Uh, it makes non conference
scheduling harder, right because you basically have got days blocked
out that you can't work with, So it limits your
your flexibiliability and availability for particular games. But I like
playing some of those games early. And you know, with
all leagues now, with the number of Eleague games we play,
you know you're gonna have to play some in December.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Well, when you were playing, we weren't starting the season
on November the third, Like that's the and we was
talking about that before, just as a fan. That's still
I remember when college basketball would start the week after Thanksgiving, right,
that wasn't that long ago. The fact that we're starting
this early, you talk about a new normal. That's one
I haven't gotten used to.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
No, it really is strange, and it doesn't impact us
as much because we get the summers now, so we
still feel like we have some time with our guys,
even though a bunch of them are new. But yeah,
I mean it tips earlier and earlier. I mean we're
gonna start having at Halloween tip offs. We're not careful.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Yeah, it feels like that's around the corner. The season
is here, begins on Monday. We always love having you
and we'll do it again soon. Man, thanks so much
for you're the best.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
That's our guy, Darren Horne, the men's basketball coach at
Northern Kentucky University. The Norse taking on UC Claremont in
Highland Heights on Monday at seven pm. Go watch the
Norse play this year. It's a good time. Twenty six
after four o'clock, Terarrent, we have not had time to
take our breath. We've had guest after guest, and good
guest after good guest, and we'll continue. Wes Miller scheduled
(06:57):
to join us for a few minutes. We got to
do sports headline as well on ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati
Sports Station.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
You've been listening to football in the NATI on ESPN
fifteen thirty, the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals. Cincinnati's
ESPN fifteen thirty Traffic.
Speaker 4 (07:21):
From the UC Health Traffic Center With a stroke, every
second counts, and so does your team. Home to rapid
life saving treatment and clinical trials. You see health as
the clear choice for stroke care. Learn more at UCHealth
dot com. On Cluffpike, there is an accident in both
directions between Bruns Lane and Nagle Road. Right now, crews
are directing traffic around that spot southbound seventy one in Ohio.
(07:46):
Accident at two seventy five That one off onto the
left shoulder. I'm at eazelic with traffic.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
This report is sponsored by me
This is football in the Nattie, brought to you by
modern office methods on.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Thank you, It's exactly for twenty This is ESPN fifteen
thirty on oegar. The men's basketball team at Northern Kentucky
University opens it season on Monday game against UC Claremont
at seven o'clock and before they hit the road for
back to back games next weekend against Tennessee and Knoxville.
The first of those two. The head coach of the Norse,
(00:32):
he's got his hands full with nine new players, Darren
horn is with his coach. Awesome to have. He was
always good afternoon, Good.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Afternoon, mothe thanks. You know that this pitch riding was
my normal routine. I turned on down Mowegar in the
afternoons on my way home. This is perfect.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Well, that's that's way too kind of you, and I
appreciate that. Where do you even start? Is this like
normal now? Where every year you know I'm gonna have six, seven, eight,
nine new players? Has this started to feel normal yet?
Speaker 4 (01:01):
Well?
Speaker 3 (01:01):
I think it is right. Just look around the country
and if you've got, you know, less than five or
six new guys, it's probably unusual. And so it's just
the first year that it's happened for us to have
this many new guys. And you know, our philosophy approaching
this in the in this new era is we're trying
to build the best team that we can uh for
(01:23):
every season, uh, one year at a time, and so
you know, we hope that we've done that for this
year without new guys.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
How many of these players from overseas did you get
a chance to go and recruit personally? Zero?
Speaker 3 (01:36):
I mean, that's the thing. You don't see any of
these portal guys in person, right unless you played against
them or maybe recruited them at one time. You know,
you're talking about sometimes a seven day to maybe two
three weeks max recruitment and and a lot of it
not even in person. We we've got a guy that
may start for us who we never even had on campus.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Does is that normal?
Speaker 1 (01:59):
Yet?
Speaker 3 (02:01):
I think it's getting there, Okay, I think it's getting
there because of the timing of it. You know, you
get into May and there's some some deadlines on this stuff,
and you know you run out of time to get
them to campus.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
All right, Well, uh, you've had an exhibition game, you
play at Ashland so based on that in the weeks
where the practice and all the offseason workouts, what do
you like most about your team?
Speaker 3 (02:21):
Yeah, I think what I'm going to like, hopefully is
we I think we're going to be deep, a little
deeper than we've been in the past. I really like
our athleticism, and I think we've got some real versatility,
uh in this group. But again with with not many returners,
and then the returners being guys that you know, need
to be more consistent in their roles.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
You know, we don't know exactly what we're gonna get,
but I think there's real potential for us to work
towards a team that's that's much more athletic and deeper overall.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Do you do you go into the first few games,
and I hate to put it this way with with
almost a checklist of like, we we want to win
as many games as possible, but we have to accomplish
these things. We have to grow in these areas before
Horizon League play gets.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
Here, no question, you know, I think the biggest thing
one of the reasons we've had, you know, sustained success
in our place, I think we really played to an
identity and that identity is built, you know, over time
with you know, we don't really use the word culture,
but with building you know, a culture of your program
and how you want to play, what's important to you.
It's passed on right now, new guys you don't have
(03:29):
as much of that, and so we're of course we're
playing to win every game, but we really also want
to build our identity early in the season.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
How hard is that to do when you're not seeing
guys in person.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Oh it's hard, right, I mean, ultimately we're all rolling
the dice, man, you know, and then we're not alone
in our own area. Kentucky's got eleven new guys. I
think I don't know how many rethink Richards whole rosters
do it xavior. So like it's it's just kind of
college basketball now, man. You got to get to it
and hope it works out well for.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
You, no question about that. Darren Horne is with us.
The Norris open up the season against UC Claremont on Monday.
That game is going to be at seven o'clock before
they hit the road to go take on Tennessee. You
and I talk about scheduling. We've talked about scheduling in
the past. Is in this era of college sports, is
it becoming easier more difficult to check all the boxes
(04:21):
you want to check with the schedule.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
Yeah, it's getting harder for us again, just because of
the way we play and the success that we've had.
You know, used to be we were a quality RPI game,
but now it's the net system, right, and it goes
by quads, and whether you're at the top of the
quad or the bottom of the quad, it's the same
ranking or credit for your opponent. So they'd much rather
(04:45):
play the teams at the bottom of the quad, which
has made it really hard for us to get those games.
And then just the structure of them as well. We
hope we've addressed that. You know, if you remember last
year MO we opened up half Florida State with to
Purdue and then hosted Cincinnati in three of our first
four games. So we've tried to space that out a
little bit. We are at Tennessee and on the road
(05:06):
at Eastern Sea State, who's always very good, but uh,
then and then we're able to come home for three
towards the end of the month and hopefully build build
our team a little bit in that process.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Do you like the fact that there are Horizon League
games on the schedule, and this has been the case
now for a while before the calendar flips the next year.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
I like it in general. Uh, it makes non conference
scheduling harder, right because you basically have got days blocked
out that you can't work with, So it limits your
your flexibiliability and availability for particular games. But I like
playing some of those games early. And you know, with
all leagues now, with the number of Eleague games we play,
you know you're gonna have to play some in December.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Well, when you were playing, we weren't starting the season
on November the third, Like that's the and we was
talking about that before, just as a fan. That's still
I remember when college basketball would start the week after Thanksgiving, right,
that wasn't that long ago. The fact that we're starting
this early, you talk about a new normal. That's one
I haven't gotten used to.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
No, it really is strange, and it doesn't impact us
as much because we get the summers now, so we
still feel like we have some time with our guys,
even though a bunch of them are new. But yeah,
I mean it tips earlier and earlier. I mean we're
gonna start having at Halloween tip offs. We're not careful.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Yeah, it feels like that's around the corner. The season
is here, begins on Monday. We always love having you
and we'll do it again soon. Man, thanks so much
for you're the best.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
That's our guy, Darren Horne, the men's basketball coach at
Northern Kentucky University. The Norse taking on UC Claremont in
Highland Heights on Monday at seven pm. Go watch the
Norse play this year. It's a good time. Twenty six
after four o'clock, Terarrent, we have not had time to
take our breath. We've had guest after guest, and good
guest after good guest, and we'll continue. Wes Miller scheduled
(06:57):
to join us for a few minutes. We got to
do sports headline as well on ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati
Sports Station.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
You've been listening to football in the NATI on ESPN
fifteen thirty, the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals. Cincinnati's
ESPN fifteen thirty Traffic.
Speaker 4 (07:21):
From the UC Health Traffic Center With a stroke, every
second counts, and so does your team. Home to rapid
life saving treatment and clinical trials. You see health as
the clear choice for stroke care. Learn more at UCHealth
dot com. On Cluffpike, there is an accident in both
directions between Bruns Lane and Nagle Road. Right now, crews
are directing traffic around that spot southbound seventy one in Ohio.
(07:46):
Accident at two seventy five That one off onto the
left shoulder. I'm at eazelic with traffic.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
This report is sponsored by me
Mo Egger News
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